The End of Poverty

The End of Poverty ? That might seem to be too audacious an idea. Yet Jeffrey Sachs - a very respected figure in the economic community - avers that this need not remain an idea. The development economist in him argues how we can end extreme poverty by 2025.

First he briefly takes the reader through the paths of development traced by the different countries of the world and reveals that the enormous economic disparity that exists today is the product of the unequal economic growth of not more than a few hundred years of the recent past. He highlights the importance of what he calls differential diagnosis to understand the problems of each country and illustrates this from his involvement in the crises of Bolivia, Russia and Poland.

The central argument of the book is that development aid from developed nations can go a long way in helping the poor nations climb out of poverty and step onto the economic ladder of development. He says that once a country is able to take this first and vital step, aid need not be as much important as before. To achieve this, he advocates that the developed nations need contribute not more than 0.7% of their annual GDP to the impoverished nations. Further, he says this is what the developed countries themselves have already promised in 2000, asserting their commitment to the Millenium Development Goals.

However, he realises that a plain flow of cash is not enough. He outlines a plan to implement development programmes at the grass-root level, ensuring that transparency is maintained and that people are held accountable.

I found the book to be an illuminating and inspiring read. Nevertheless, there has been a lot of criticism against Jeff's theory that foreign aid can help. I share one such critique and Jeff's reply to that as well.

1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25562-2005Mar10.htm
2. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64541-2005Mar24.html

Also here is an interview with Prof. Sachs: http://radioeconomics.com/1/?p=22

Happy reading..

Dawn

The shimmering crescent
Dissolves in the dark sky,
The awaiting roses
Heave a sigh of relief,
Thus Nature welcomes dawn
In smug glee.
Through the closed window panes
Enter the golden rays of the sun;
Like a candle in the darkness
They shower kindly light
Upon the dull hearts of men;
Yet another day begins,
"The past is past,
Bright - not bleak, is future;
Rise from the pit of sin,
From the maelstrom of despair;
Do send some good before you
To be in fine fettle after the sojourn,
Begin to live with God Almighty
By dying to the world,
By sending heavenward your prayers,
By heaping to yourself immortal riches,
That the gates of Heaven be opened to you",
Conveys this golden message
To rejuvenate us poor beings,
To reinvigorate our minds -
Dawn ! The Messenger of God.

Culture and Civilization

Isaac Newton once said,"We stand on the shoulders of giants". Yes, humanity has progressed over the ages by building on the contribution of our forefathers. The struggles, aspirations, successes and failures of our ancestors have shaped our collective conscience and our identity. This wealth of inheritance that is constantly evolving, we identify as our culture.

Thus we can speak of a global culture as the synthesis of some overarching beliefs, ideas and yearnings that at once characterize both the human race and each individual. These apparently unifying attributes can be considered to be the definitional constructs of a human being or organism.

However these macrocosmic characteristics notwithstanding, there exist multiple identities and hence multiple cultures. This is due to the enormous diversity of the human race. Thus we have national cultures and regional cultures where culture derives its identity from commonality of geography. One could also think of religious cultures which cut across geographies. We also frequently hear of the culture of the rich and the elite, the culture of the poor and downtrodden, tribal culture and even political and bureaucratic cultures.

Seen in this light, every society can be considered both as an amalgamation of different cultures and also as having one culture, when the unifying factor that defines the society is used to define the culture as well. Even every individual owes his allegiance to multiple cultures; it is just that one of these supersedes the others in any given situation.

So inherently diverse as every society is, the growth of a society depends critically on the interplay of these different cultures and identities cherished implicitly or explicitly by each individual. When the unifying ethos of the society is strong and appealing enough to be embraced by a large majority, society thrives - it has the potential to weather many a crisis. When this near-Utopian state - wherein differences are respected, inequality is low and wherein inherent heterogeneity(not homogeneity) becomes a unifying force in itself, thereby dispelling or reducing artificial heterogeneity - is attained, a society is said to be civilized.

Hence civilization is inextricably linked with the social and economic well-being of the people. A civilized society is one in which the people are prosperous, human values are respected and social and technological advancements exist to sustain that state.

There have been some great civilizations in the past like those of Egypt, Indus-Valley and Mesopotamia. However most of them fell prey to man's greed - his desire to conquer and acquire. The clash between civilizations that originated then exists even today and dominates the arena of global politics. The alarming disparities in the distribution of wealth over the ages have resulted in a huge socio-economic divide between the haves and the have-nots. Even in the USA - one of the most developed countries of the world - the disparity between the rich majority and the poor minority is very huge.

Therefore, civilization as we understand it, probably exists only in history textbooks. However there is room for hope. Many of the so-called 'emerging economies' like India and China are really on an upward growth spiral. This has inspired and enabled many people to take up philanthropic activities. Let us hope that we are able to lead and participate in a revolution that could eventually result in a rebirth of civilizations. We would do well to remember the words of the Father of our Nation, "We have enough on this planet for everyone's need, but not for everyone's greed".

At 11:19 PM

One might wonder what could possibly happen at this time of the day - or rather night - that could qualify as something worth putting down; another one may wonder what could NOT possibly transpire at this auspicious moment - when the owl is up and the innocent souls have entered the world of sweet dreams, thereby inadvertently giving an opportunity for the 'wicked' beings or studs to do what they may choose to choose....

Sentences getting too long?? - Yes, that is why they are gonna be short - they cannot be otherwise through the phone, right? I was coming after calling home - my own dear dear mother - to intimate her about my impulsive plan to run home that night- as if answering a call of nature. The Puja vacation had already been half over, and were I to go home, I had better gone earlier - according to my well-meaning mother (and any sensible person I hope). However, being credited as well as discredited with the distinction of thinking differently, for me, the vacation was still half left, and 42 hours of train journey in an overcrowded general compartment was nothing but nothing more...however, my mother being habitually dissatisfied with this expedition of mine (and already having issued many 'last warnings' against this 'heroic' feat), was most reluctant to give me an opportunity to grant her the vision of her beloved son landing home with swollen limping legs....so I was expecting her to call me back - when I would pronounce my final decision....

The phone at the security counter of my hall rang.... a female indeed it was, but not Amma.... she asked for Abhijit Sinha - room no: B-312..- in a voice with a degree of smart politeness that can be exceeded only by a good-looking receptionist at a five-star hotel. Keeping up with the sacrosanct tradition of RP hall (as well as my personal etiquette), I told her that she may please call after 10 minutes...and being lazy enough to contemplate myself climbing the stairs, I asked the security guard to call the guy...he humbly refused since he happened to be a neophyte (in this activity of snoring from midnight till dawn) - left with no alternative, I pulled my towering body up the stairs.... and lo!!!

To my delight and surprise (as well as a sense of vicarious sympathy towards the voice over the phone), I discovered that the room B-312 was missing!!! i.e., the rooms 311 and 313 are very much there (both being corner rooms of adjacent wings), but the mid-point is devoid of any other room....I beamed with a sense of suppressed excitement over my serendipitous exploits…but I did not give up hope; my immaculate heart yearned for the good-old lady at the phone..(I have vicariously experienced very well the agony of a mother longing to hear her son's voice).

I dared to disturb the dreams of the boy in 311.... yes he opened the door…on asking for 312, he declared - after a brief examination for himself - that 312 does exist!!! - but is the toilet ...oh...my perspicacious eyes had not beholden that spectacle...well, that is even more enchanting (what a wing this is - this phenomenon is apparently absent in any other wing) as well as soothing - at least, 312 is not a non-entity.... better a toilet than nothing.... after all, it is the predominant abode for studs and non-studs alike - the abode where all the purgation is done on a daily basis...and yes, I also asked the boy for anyone by the appellation "Abhijit Sinha"...but no, no one....woh…we have a small mystery at hand....for which there could exist multiple solutions - but none of them at a visible distance of perceptibility...

Downstairs my heart led my body.... the phone had already been ringing - as if she anticipated my advent by some telepathic effect - I took the receiver with characteristic hesitation…since I would have to announce the unbelievable...

Doubtless, it was she...I told her hesitantly,
"Well, actually, you see, there is no one here by name Abhijit."....
"You see, I am not a fool to make a blank call at this time of the night, you see"...
"Fine, fine...but he is not here…I mean, he is not there..."
"What do you mean? "
"Yes ma'am, there is no one by that name here"...
"Oh Com'mon, he is a second year student of the Dept. of Metallurgy"...
"Fine, fine, but he is not in the room you told.... actually, I am sorry to say that...the room B-312 does not exist..."....
"What...are you joking ???"
""No, not at all, I am pretty serious...actually...the room B-312 is a toilet..."...
"Watttt?? What are you saying ? You making fool of me ?"..
"No, I told you I am serious."

Then, I went on to explain the disposition of the "room" B-312...sandwiched between two wings - locked like a small listless child between the eternal embrace of the parents 311 and 313.
I concluded the results of my discovery "...I cannot help it you see..."
Then her voice assumed a more serious tone...."You see, I need to get Abhijit Sinha ...It is really urgent...please call him..."
"Com'mon, I have told you the situation..."
Presently, she burst into a laughter..."OK, ok, wait a moment...isn't this IIT Kharagpur??"...
Quite confidently and delightedly, I replied..."Yes, yeaaaaaaas...."..
"RP hall?? "
"Yes, yes..."
"And Abhijit Sinha, Room no: B-312?""
"Yes, that too is right...”
"Then, ARE ... you kidding?"

Suddenly, an idea flashed through my mind - as if digged out from the sacred recesses of my mind whose intuitive powers are renowned to be par excellence.... I reassured her "OK, ok ...let us do one thing…I shall get some second year ...and he will be able to tell where Abhijit is, if he is there…maybe he has changed his room...."...
"Ya, he might have changed his room.... he gave me this number 2 months back"....
(What a lady she is...she should have told this earlier...)
"Oh, then it is ok...actually second-years have changed their rooms some time back, you see...so you please call after 10 minutes..."
"Ok...can you tell me your name?? " ...I sensed that would be to add weight to my words...to increase believability....
I answered with aplomb and pride " Sure, I am Dheep Joy...- a final year student"...
"Ok.... I am Adhiti"...
"Ok fine...are you his mother? " (That was my tacit assumption - the default possibility...at least for my innocent mind - that could not conceive of girl-friends and all that at least at that moment)...
Her voice buzzed at me..."MOAUTHER ???? You think I am his MOTHER ?? "
"Oh...then you might be his elder sister...?""..
but she reiterated...
"Oh God...Mother???...is my voice that bad??"
"Oh ...no…not really...ya...I did not think of your voice...."...
"Oh...SHIT..."

It seemed that she did not want to give up - and that ‘holy’ word 'shit' convinced me that she is no mother...rather, it appeared to me that she wanted me to ask more about herself.... and her voice.... she would have wanted me to adulate her and her voice - as if she is the paragon of womanhood and the exclusive possessor and epitome of the gift of the tongue....

To the hell...I was in no mood to bolster her ego - already she had encroached so much upon my precious time and bottled up energy...and besides my mother would call any moment...and over and above that, my pride and self-respect did not allow me to cater to the feminine instincts of a girl calling a boys' hostel at near mid-night....

"OK, ok.... you better call after 10 minutes..."
"Oh ok, you will be there? "
"Oh sure...I am waiting for my call", I answered half-satirically and sarcastically and of course seriously too, as indeed I was waiting for my call....

She seemed satisfied with that.... and apparently kept the phone…or maybe, I kept it before her.... whatever it is, the conversation ended there...

Up my compassionate heart (as I 'knew' that she made a genuine call, whatever her reactions were...) pulled me.... - to Jayakanth - a very well informed second year...he was awake thankfully.... I called him and narrated the curious turn of events.... he too was obviously delighted...after convincing himself too that 312 is indeed the venerable toilet, he stated confidently that there is no Abhijit - not just in RP - but in their whole batch as well.... I summoned him downstairs so that he can speak to her…and possibly convince her.... about the non-existence of this non-entity....

By this time, the 311 gentleman too came down...curious to know the ending of all this.... the trio of us...waited for about half an hour…but no she, no her voice, no call...indeed, my mother called and seeing her discomfiture, I had to suspend the plan of going home.... I told her too about the unfolding mystery.... bearing myself the countenance of a Nancy Drew or Sherlock Holmes in the making....

My watch ticked 12:19 ...but no....she did not call.... I told my assistants to patch up...she is not going to call.... I reasoned and told them perspicaciously that she would have got disheartened by my anticipation of her being the mother of a boy.... well, for one, my postulate was not very blunt because I thought since mothers can be young too...well...

I went and told my wise and good friends Nishant and Sumit about the whole thing.... after listening to everything with an admixture of slight surprise and delight, Nishant - the Maths genius - found that there is a unique solution to this problem - and that is...the call was fake.... everything was fake except she.... Sumit supplied the proof: "she told you initially itself that she is not making a blank call...that means that she indeed was making a blank call...."....

"Wow...how come I did not think of that...you are right Sumit...oh man, I missed it"...Sumit laughed and said, in his perennial humorous way..."So Dheep, should I join CBI???"

Ya, that was it, it seems.... I learned a lesson, which my friends as well as parents and brothers and life in general have been trying to teach me strenuously but in vain.... - that I should learn to doubt people and circumstances and not believe anyone or anything unconditionally.... and that was precisely what happened.... I pity my credulousness...

I hope you my dear friends can also learn something from this...- the next time a girl rings you up at midnight, tell her downright that you are mad, lest she proves indeed that you indeed are...sweet dreams...
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